Copilot
by akajanedoe
Summary: The super soldier serum was more than a chance to win the war to Howard Stark, it was his sister's chance at life. With Angelica terminally ill, using her as the female test subject for the super soldier serum alongside Steve Rogers seemed like the obvious decision, after all, a scientific study is always best performed with multiple samples.
1. Chapter 1

On the morning of the procedure, Steve met Peggy Carter just outside the mess hall at camp. "Good morning, Steve," the agent greeted politely, sending Steve a small reassuring smile before she turned and led him to the street outside the mess hall where a car was waiting.

"Best get going, there's a little bit of a drive into the city." Agent Carter hopped into the passenger seat of the car before Steve could try to hold the door for her, so he climbed in the back seat to find another woman already sitting in the car.

She had dark hair that was curled up in a popular style that women seemed to like to wear these days, dressed in an elegant green dress which spoke of money but her face was gaunt like she hadn't eaten for weeks and the woman looked so pale that Steve worried she might collapse at any moment. She looked up as Steve slid into the seat next to her and gave him a soft smile, looking exhausted.

Steve smiled back shyly, "Hello, I'm Steve Rogers." He held out a hand and she shook it with her own paper-thin hand with very little pressure going into the handshake.

Her voice was low and raspy as she spoke, "A pleasure, please call me Angelica."

The woman didn't provide any further introduction beyond that, turning to look out the window with an almost wistful look on her face as she stared out at the countryside slipping past. Agent Carter didn't bother to introduce the woman further either and the car fell silent until they reached the city.

When they drove through Brooklyn Steve looked around and noticed his old haunts, "I know this neighbourhood. I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

Steve could practically hear the amusement in Agent Carter's voice, "Did you have something against running away?"

"You start running and they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back, can't say no forever, right?"

Agent Carter seemed to sympathize with Steve, "I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face."

Angelica turned to give Steve a considering look, her hands twisted in her lap as she looked at him in thought, "Barriers that come up because you look a certain way, have certain impediments…" her voice seemed to trail off at the end as she went back to staring out the window, seeming to regret speaking her thoughts out loud.

Steve found the woman perplexing, where did she come from and how did she get mixed up in all of this? She certainly didn't look like an Agent, at least not like Agent Carter, so what was her place here? Before Steve could really voice his thoughts the car pulled to a stop in front of an old curio shop and Agent Carter made to get out of the vehicle. "Here we are, this way."

Steve opened the car door and made to hold it open for the other woman but she got out on her own side instead, not seeming to notice him. "What are we doing here?" Steve turned to Agent Carter.

"Follow me." The trio made their way inside the curio shop to find a little old woman standing behind the desk at the back.

"Wonderful weather this morning, isn't it?" The old woman asked, with a peculiar tone of voice.

Agent Carter gave her a small smile, "Yes, but I always carry an umbrella."

The old woman pressed a button behind the counter and a shelf slid open to reveal a hidden hallway that they walked through, leading to the lab where Dr. Erskine and his team were working on prepping the equipment for the procedure. Dr. Erskine looked up to see the group and stepped forward to shake Steve's hand, while Angelica looked around with a slightly resigned expression. "Good morning," Erskine began, shooing away a photographer that took a photo of himself and Steve.

"Are you ready?" Steve nodded, before Erskine looked to Angelica who was staring at something behind the scientist, not paying attention to the conversation.

Before Erskine could speak another voice came up behind them. "Lick! You made it." Howard Stark walked over, a slightly stressed look on his face as he looked over the woman. "You look like hell, darling."

Angelica laughed with a little bitterness, "Wouldn't you?"

Howard dragged a hand nervously through his hair, "Good point, good point. Well, uh we've got you set up over here on this side next to Steve for the procedure," Howard gestured to the other machine that looked almost like a coffin.

Angelica's eyebrows nearly made it past her hairline but she smirked, "Well at least if I die this way I'll already be in a convenient box to bury me in. More expedient than the alternative, don't you think?"

Howard looked horrified at her joke, almost tripping over himself as he led Angelica over to the machine and assured her completely that everything would be fine.

Steve watched the exchange in shock, as he realized the woman would also be undergoing the procedure as well. He turned to Erskine as Howard and Angelica bantered back and forth once Angelica haad returned from changing into a simple cotton outfit. "I didn't realize there was another test subject," Steve said quietly as Dr. Erskine also watched the pair but with a sad expression.

Erskine quietly explained to Steve, "Stark argued that we needed a female test subject for the serum to study the effects on both genders. A brilliant move on his part, as the only way the higher ups would allow it would be if the subject was already terminally ill…" his voice trailed off as Steve and Erskine watched the pair continue to argue, Angelica looking tired and resigned while Howard was frantic and nervous, pulling her into a hug and looking near tears. Howard Stark was a far cry from the confident and self-assured man Steve had seen at the Stark Expo, as Steve felt he was intruding on what was clearly meant to be a private moment.

He looked to Erskine as the scientist watched the pair with a sad expression, "It's his girlfriend? She's terminally ill?" Steve was surprised, Stark didn't seem like the type to go steady with any girl.

Erskine shook his head, "Sister, and yes. Consumption." Steve looked away in sympathy. The procedure was his chance at a career in the army and making a difference, while the procedure was Angelica's chance at *life.* Somehow that knowledge made him feel more nervous about the procedure than before.

Dr. Erskine looked back to Steve and gave him a slight smile, "Not to worry, everything will go according to plan. Follow me." He led Steve over to the pod where he got in and lied down. Angelica was already laying in her own, rolling her eyes as her brother nervously hovered beside her.

Erskine helped to fasten the safety straps in the pod around Steve, "Comfortable?"

Steve felt a little overwhelmed by all that was going on around him but tried not to show it, "It's a little big. You save me any of that schnapps?"

Erskine gave Steve a small apologetic smile, "Not as much as I should have, sorry. Next time." The scientist's eyes shifted up to find Howard Stark now at the control panel, even though Stark looked like he'd rather be standing next to Angelica. Angelica looked wary in her pod, but kept rolling her eyes at Howard. Obviously she wasn't the type of woman that liked to be fawned over, which Steve could respect. She seemed like someone who valued independence, judging from how she seemed to brush off Howard's help when getting into the pod, despite struggling earlier. Either that or a stubborn streak a mile wide.

"Mr. Stark, how are your levels?" Erskine asked.

"Levels at 100%."

"Good."

Stark gave Erskine a lopsided smile as he flipped some sort of switch and checked the dials on his station. "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are as ready as we'll ever be."

After gesturing for Agent Carter to join the other observers in the booth, Erskine held up a microphone and began to introduce the project to the observers, Steve and Angelica not catching most of what he was saying as they were more concerned with what was about to happen.

"Well, if I go out this way at least it'll be dramatic," Angelica thought, getting a little more miffed as she kept catching Howard shooting her worried looks. She'd helped Howard and Erskine work on the calculations for the serum herself, of course it would work. Part of her knew that even if this was any other procedure, if had been perfected for decades and saved billions of lives, Howard would still be on edge. They were all each other had, after their parents passed, and she could see he was fraught with worry. But if he could just keep it together, that'd be nice.

Angelica heard Rogers speak up from beside her, "It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" She chuckled at the question. It seemed like she wasn't the only one trying to use humour to diffuse the tension.

Erskine gave Rogers a slight smile as well before turning to the observers, "We will proceed." The doors to the pods shut over Angelica and Steve as they began the procedure.

Howard shot Angelica's pod one last glance before turning to the controls, "That's ten percent. Twenty percent, thirty, that's forty."

A doctor spoke up beside Howard, "Vital signs of both subjects are normal."

"That's fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy."

Angelica started screaming out in pain, closely followed by Steve's screams. Erskine yelled out "Steven!" at the same time as Howard yelled out "Shut it down!"

Howard scrambled to get over to the switch to turn the machine off but Steve yelled, "No! Don't! I can do this!"

Howard still made to turn the machine off until Angelica yelled, "Don't you dare Howard! Keep going or I'm dead anyway!"

Howard breathed a heavy sigh before going back to the dial, "Eighty. Ninety. That's one hundred percent." Shortly after everything overloads and the lights flicker while the reactor closes itself down.

Erskine motions for Howard to open the pods and Howard hurries to oblige, hurrying over to Angelica's pod the minute it opens. Angelica laid in her pod for a moment, breathing heavily with sweat dripping all over her body. "Holy shit Lick," Howard breathed, taking in the changes. The procedure has worked, and Angelica breathed in her first full breath of air in a long time. When she finally stood from the pod she realized she was taller. Before the procedure she'd stood at five feet and two inches, but she had probably gained at least ten inches from the procedure. She was also leaner, and had some meat to her bones which consumption had all but taken away from her before the procedure. She felt healthier than she had in her entire life she thought, as she looked down at herself in awe. Angelica threw herself at Howard, pulling him into a giant bear hug and laughing with joy, "We did it! It worked!"

When Howard released her she glanced over at Steve to see that he'd drastically changed. Angelica felt her jaw drop to the floor as her eyes dragged over what used to be a scrawny and sickly looking kid. Erskine was at Steve's side, "I think we did it."

Agent Carter appeared beside Steve and helped him stay upright, "How do you feel?"

Steve looked as confused as Angelica felt, "Taller."

"I'll say," Angelica spoke up, a smile spreading across her lips. "Twinsies?" She grinned, gesturing at Steve and then herself. Howard barked a laughed at her lame joke, just happy that the procedure had worked and that Angelica would live more than a couple months.

Steve smiled and was about to say something to Angelica before Erskine yelled out, "Stop him!"

and the sound of a gunshot rang out. Steve rushed to Erskine's side as the blood spread in his chest from the gaping bullet hole the man had put in the scientist, shocked with grief. Erskine gasped and pointed at Steve's chest before he faded away, leaving Steve covered in blood and furious, with Angelica crouched beside him, her own look of fury aimed at the door the man had escaped out of. Sharing a look of mutual understanding, Angelica and Steve raced after the man and onto the street, where Agent Carter was attempting to shoot the man as he drove towards her, intending to hit her. Steve dove and grabbed Agent Carter at the last second before she could get hit while Angelica punched a hole in the back window and then jumped on top of the car's roof when the car went to speed away, not having enough time to dive into the vehicle itself from her position. The car tried to shake Angelica off as she grab the sides of the roof to hold on. She clutched so tightly to the roof that she molded the metal into her hands, to her surprise, and made better handles for herself to hold on.

Behind her, Steve ran after the car, barrelling into a bridal shop accidentally when he lost control of his newfound momentum from running so fast, faster than he ever could before. He quickly pulled himself out of the window and sprinted after the car and Angelica, catching up as Angelica pulled off one of the sides doors, causing the man to lose control of the car out of shock. The man hurried out of the vehicle, brandishing his gun as he tried to shoot Steve and Angelica, Steve blocking the bullets with the side door of the car that Angelica had ripped off, while Angelica dove behind the car to escape getting hit.

The man grabbed a boy nearby, taking him hostage as he made his way towards the river. "No! No, not my son!" the boy's mother screamed as the man took him away, "Don't hurt him!"

"Let me go!" the boy yelled, trying to bite the man that had taken him hostage.

Angelica and Steve ran after the man, pleading with him not to hurt the boy, "Wait, don't!" Steve yelled, pausing in panic as the man held his gun to the boy's head. Angelica gasped in fear. The man hesitates and then throws the boy into the water of the river, running away as Steve stops to look down at the boy in worry, "Don't worry mister! I can swim!" The boy yelled. Angelica nodded and sprinted after the man, diving and landing on top of the man before rolling him over face up when Steve reached them. "Who the hell are you?" Angelica growled.

The man smirked, not looking fearful in the slightest, "The first of many. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!" The man foamed at the mouth, before laying still, dead.

Angelica quickly stood up and looked at Steve in bewilderment. "Gotta say, this is a lot to swallow all at once."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all,**

**What a great response from you all just for the first chapter, thanks for your support! If you like my work please give me a favourite and a follow and feel free to write me a review if you have anything to say.**

**To answer Primus2021's question, Angelica Stark will not be called Miss America. I don't want to reveal anything too soon, but her codename won't be as obvious as Steve's, and she'll happen upon it later in the story. Angelica will have to fight to participate 'with the big boys,' but I'll just leave it at that for now.**

**Cheers,**

**Jane**

* * *

When Angelica saw Steve decked out in the ridiculous costume that Senator had put him in up on stage in front of the troops in Italy, she knew it was going to be bad news. The morale at the camp had been low since their massive loss at Azzano and the crowd wouldn't go easy on the outrageous spectacle the 'Captain America Show' always made. When her predictions started to come true and the crowd began heckling she crept behind the back for a smoke, having seen enough. She didn't need to see the rest to know how it was going to end. Instead, she sat under the sparse cover of the overhang out back and smoked, hoping she'd get a few more moments of peace before Howard came looking for her. These days she couldn't breathe without him demanding permission for her to take each breath, she'd been lucky enough to slip away from him while Phillips had steered Howard into talking to another visiting general about enemy munitions.

Angelica wasn't all that surprised when a few moments later Steve joined her in the back, obviously having had his fill of the camp's ridicule. He looked surprised to see her back there, before taking a seat on a bench next to her and pulling out a sketchbook. "Sorry about that out there, it's been tense here at the front lines," she said, taking another drag. Howard used to ride her about smoking cigarettes, saying it was 'unlady-like' so she made sure to smoke whenever he wasn't around. She could stand up to Howard, but sometimes it just wasn't worth the energy.

Steve looked up from his sketchbook and grimaced, "At least you've been out here, I feel beyond useless playing as Senator Brandt's dancing monkey."

Angelica gave him an indulgent smile, "Oh don't worry this is a temporary stay for me too, I'm only here because Howard was asked to come in to talk about weaponry options. I've been shut up in a lab with Howard placing me under lock and key." Ever since the procedure, Howard had been even more cautious with Angelica's safety and she was about to throw him into a volcano. Reasonably, she probably could have easily thrown him into a volcano now what with her increased strength.

Steve looked at her for a moment with a look of sympathy, "I suppose you would understand the feeling better than most."

Angelica put a hand on his shoulder, "The only reason I was even allowed to work on Project Rebirth was because Howard refused to work with the military if I couldn't work alongside him, despite the fact that I'm just as qualified as he is and scored higher than him in school. We're two different brands of dancing monkey, I'm just the back-up dancer."

Steve shook his head sighed, "This isn't at all what I had in mind."

Just then Agent Carter joined their little pity party. "Hello Steve, Angelica."

"Hi," Steve greeted while Angelica just gave her a nod and took a pull from her cigarette.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked.

Agent Carter sat down on a bench across from them as she spoke, "Officially I'm not here at all. That was quite a performance."

Angelica gave out a short laugh, "I'll say," which Steve shot a short, amused glare. He couldn't even be all that mad at the appraisal."Yeah, uh I had to improvise a bit. Crowds I'm used to are more… twelve."

"I understand you're 'America's New Hope?'" she asked as Angelica considered her. She had a suspicion that Steve made Carter a bit hot under the collar, especially given how the brunette had seemed breathless around Steve after he came out of the pod. Although, given Steve's new body from Project Rebirth she couldn't blame the Brit. Angelica smirked to herself as her eyes flitted to appraise Steve. She, Howard and Erskine did an excellent job with Rogers. The female Stark stayed quiet and watched their little banter, hiding her smirks behind her cigarette until she burned all but the filter and had to put it out.

Steve gave Carter a slight smile, but he seemed almost tired as he responded as if he'd said the same phrase countless times, "Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit."

"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?" Carter wasn't buying it either.

"At least he's got me doing this. Phillips would have me stuck in a lab."

Angelica hummed in agreement, "I'm walking evidence of that."

Carter seemed unimpressed at their attitudes, "And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this you know?" Carter looked a bit incensed, the last part mostly aimed at Steve, but Angelica also took her words to heart.

"Maybe not Steve, but the army never intended for me to fight alongside the troops. I'm a woman, it was only because Howard threw a hissy fit that I was included as a subject in Project Rebirth at all."

It seemed it was my turn for Carter to dress me down. "That may be so but you're here now and you have so much to offer. And don't give any excuses about being a woman," the last part was said with a barely restrained eye-roll which prompted Angelica to grin.

"You have fire Carter, although I should've expected that."

"You know, for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines. Serving my country. I finally get everything that I wanted, and I'm wearing tights."

Steve's voice brought me back to reality, as he looked out at the troops milling about the camp, tending to the wounded and dying. "They look like they've been through hell."

Carter nodded as we stood, looking out over the camp. "These men more than most. Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned."

Angelica nodded, a grim look setting over her face. "You audience made up what was left of the one-oh-seventh. The rest were killed or captured a week or so ago."

Steve looked flabbergasted at Angelica's words, "The one-oh-seventh?" He dashed off towards another tent.

"Rogers! What on earth?" Angelica yelled after him, hurrying behind with Carter on her heels.

They found Steve in Colonel Phillip's work tent, standing in front of Phillips' desk. "I need the casualty list from Azzano."

Angelica had seen Phillips thoroughly dress down a soldier who had spoken to him with far less impertinence a day earlier, but it seemed that Phillips might have a soft spot for Rogers as he spoke, "You don't give me orders, son."

"I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the one hundred and seventh." Steve spoke quickly, with more authority in his voice than Angelica or Carter had ever heard from him. Who was this man, Barnes, to him?

Phillips shot Carter a look of annoyance, "You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you're not gonna enjoy."

"Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R…"

Phillips cut him off, "-I can spell. I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count, but that name does sound familiar. I'm sorry."

Steve didn't miss a beat, "What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"

Phillip's eyes narrowed at Steve, eyeing Angelica and seeming confused by her presence in his tent. "Yeah, it's called winning the war. They're thirty miles behind lines, through the most fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect either of you to understand that since you're a chorus girl and a lab monkey."

Angelica's voice was cutting, "We understand perfectly, thanks."

"Well then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, Rogers has someplace to be in thirty minutes, and I doubt Stark will let you get far from him for long." The last bit aimed at Angelica who pulled a face. It was annoying how he was right.

"Yes sir, I do." Steve said before striding out of the tent, Angelica in step behind him.

Carter hurried after, once she escaped Phillips' disappointed rumblings. "What are you going to do, walk to Austria?"

"If that's what it takes." Angelica had to hand it to him, Steve had balls for someone who used to be a shrimp.

"You heard that Colonel, your friend is most likely dead."

"You don't know that," Rogers wasn't going to let this go.

Carter tried to convince Steve to let Phillips take the lead, "He's devising a strategy, If he detects…"

"By the time he's done that, it'll be too late," Stark piped up, sensing what Steve was getting at.

"You said I was meant for more than this, did you mean that?" Steve fixed Carter with a determined stare.

"Every word."

"Then you've gotta let me go." Steve then glanced at Angelica, "Do you have any idea how we could get there?"

Angelica smirked, "Don't worry boss, I've gotcha covered."

* * *

Before long Steve and Agent Carter were in the back of a plane while Angelica was firing up the engine from the pilot's seat. "We'll be up real quick, Rogers, but best not attract more attention than necessary since even though this technically is my plane, Howard doesn't exactly know about this excursion." Just on cue, Howard Stark hopped into the plane and looked outraged as he saw Angelica getting ready to take off. Steve shut the door behind Howard hastily and Angelica quickly started steering the plan into take off as Howard red with anger, "What on earth do you think you're doing Angelica? Why are you driving our plane and where are you taking Rogers and Agent Carter?"

While her brother blustered, Angelica made sure to get the plane up and off the ground, aiming to get them to a place of no return before her brother could see straight and realize what she was up to. If she got them out of the camp he wouldn't dare force her to go back to camp or she'd be court-martialed. "Just going on a little detour to Krausberg, Howard, do catch up."

Howard quickly fastened himself into the copilot's chair to avoid being thrown across the plane as they reached altitude, while Rogers and Carter spoke quietly in the back of the plane about the plans, nervously eyeing the Starks arguing in the front of the plane.

Angelica scoffed as she looked over at Howard, able to divide her attention now that they were safely at altitude, "Oh come on Howard, we both know I'm a fully trained pilot and you're here anyway to keep me out of trouble."

"And doing a bang up job it looks like," Howard muttered. "Budge over, I'm taking over the plane."

Angelica gave him an innocent smile and unbuckled, allowing Howard to slide into her seat, "Sure brother, not going to trust me to drive?"

Howard muttered to himself unintelligibly, clearly angry, before he said, "At least I'll get us to Krausberg in one piece."

Angelica made a show of rolling her eyes at him and made her way to sit in the back with Rogers and Carter, quietly strapping on her own parachute, thanking her lucky stars she'd had the foresight to change into her stolen army uniform that was much more practical than her usual dresses. Everything was going according to plan, Howard had shown up when he heard their plane starting up and had taken over, as predicted. Carter and Rogers were a little shocked to see her suiting up, but Carter gave her a sly grin as she caught on to Angelica's plan.

Carter started to get Rogers caught up on what Carter had told Angelica in the women's changing tent. "The HYDRA camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind."

Steve looked over at Angelica and then lowered his voice, "Just get us as close as you can. You know we're all going to be in a lot of trouble when we get back, including Mr. Stark."

Angelica waved her hand, "Don't worry about Howard, the military practically licks his boots as long as he keeps bringing them weapons. He'll be fine. I'm prepared to face the consequences for myself."

Carter just shrugged, "Nothing I can't handle."

Steve nodded, "Well, let's hope it's good for something." Steve slid the plane door open and went to jump out of the plane.

"Get back here, we're taking you all the way!" Carter yelled over the wind. Howard looking back at the group at her yell.

Howard's eyes perceptibly widened when he saw Angelica getting ready to jump out of the plane, "Angelica! What. On earth. Are you doing?"

Angelica ignored Howard, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her without letting go of the plane's steering wheel.

Steve looked back at Carter, "As soon as we're out of here turn this plane around and get the hell out."

Carter looked obstinate but Steve held firm before jumping out of the plane, Angelica hot on his heels. Whoops, sorry Howard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are, another update. School's out but LSAT prep has me short on time, many apologies. We see some action from Steve and Angelica today! Hurray for teamwork! Anyway, hope you like it.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review/like/follow. All support is appreciated and I always love to hear from you all!**

**Au revoir!**

**Jane**

* * *

Angelica and Steve hit the forest floor with very little noise and in an instant Angelica had pulled Steve behind a tree, motioning for him to be silent. In the distance, Angelica could hear a soft hum of a motor which would appear in their vicinity in a matter of seconds. Steve made to step out into the clearing but Angelica held him back, gesturing for him to listen but he only looked confused. The vehicle was so close, how was it that Steve couldn't hear it?

A minute or so later a curtained jeep drove past and Angelica swung around the tree and dove into the back of the vehicle, closely followed by Steve. Within seconds the Hydra guards that had sat shocked in the back of the vehicle were unconscious and being thrown out the back behind them. Steve grinned at Angelica, "Nice work. If the map we left with Peggy was correct it's a short ride from here."

Before she could respond the vehicle came to a halt and the driver cut the engine. Steve and Angelica quietly shifted into position as the guard's feet drifted towards the back of the vehicle, Steve slamming the guard directly in the face with his shield as soon as the guard lifted the curtain, launching the guard out of the vehicle and landing on the gravel with a thud. Steve and Angelica quickly snuck off the truck and into the facility nearby, Angelica raising her gun and watching their backs as they crept into the facility, unseen.

One of the rooms along the hallway had a bunch of high-tech looking guns lining the wall with an eery blue glow coming from the end. Angelica quickly snatched one, only smirking at Steve's glance and motioning for him to keep moving. They made it several more corridors before Angelica pressed Steve into an alcove, lightning fast and covering his mouth while urging him with her eyes not to make a sound. A small, balding scientist walked by, his light steps were hard to hear at a distance. Even still, Angelica had heard Zola a corridor back while Steve seemed to have missed it. Steve also had the serum, how had he not heard it?

Once the scientist passed, Angelica released Steve and they continued to explore the facility until they came along a room that was clearly used to hold prisoners. The pair approached the first cell close to the door.

"Who are you supposed to be?" One of the prisoners asked, him and the other men sizing up Steve and then looking shocked when they noticed Angelica there with him.

"I'm… Captain America." Steve told the men, sounding a little unsure of himself.

Angelica snorted beside him, "And I'm here to watch his ass. Let's get going."

Steve procured the keys to their cells from the wall where the guards had left them and unlocked the doors to the cells that held the prisoners. As the prisoners poured out, the man with a mustache who stood next to the guy who had questioned Steve looked at a Japanese looking man who'd just walked out of the cell opposite. "What, are we taking everyone?"

The other man looked unimpressed and pulled out his dog tags, dangling them in front of his face. "I'm from Fresno, ace."

Steve ignored their antics. "Is there anyone else? I'm looking for Sergeant James Barnes."

Another prisoner with a British accent gestured to another door, "There's an isolation ward in the factory, but no one's come out of it."

Steve's jaw was set in determination, but Angelica could see the glimmer of fear in his eye for his friend. "Alright. The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody I can find."

One of the other men who looked a little worse for wear spoke up, "What, you're leaving? Some of us don't have much strength left to fight. We've gone without food and water for days."

Steve looked torn and was becoming a bit more stressed as the guards started to realize the prisoners were escaping. "Go. I'll take it from here." Angelica dismissed him, looking past the men at an oncoming guard that was walking into the room, surprised at the men outside of their cells.

Steve looked nervous at the thought of leaving her alone, and the men looked doubtful at being led by a woman. "I'm not sure if that's a great-"

Before the guard could yell for help, Angelica gave him an uppercut to the jaw so strong the man put a dent in the wall he smacked into, unconscious. Angelica lifted an eyebrow at Steve. The man with the mustache gave a short laugh, "Think she's got it, Captain."

Angelica nudged Steve with her elbow, "Go on, git."

Steve shrugged and fixed her with an amused smile.

"Wait! You know what you're doing?" The man with the mustache asked Steve as he made to leave.

"Yeah, I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times." Angelica gave a short laugh at his comment as he jogged out of the room and through the door one of the men had previously pointed him to.

Looking back at the prisoners, Angelica smirked. "Time to kick some ass, boys." She was met with a few cheers as the men flooded into the corridor, making sure to help the stragglers who were worse for wear as the men scrounged for weapons and made their way toward the exits.

Angelica laughed as she caught sight of the fellow with the mustache and another prisoner commandeering a tank, one of them yelling about not knowing German before the tank lurched forward a few seconds later. Quickly she hauled herself onto the tank, bringing a man with a bad leg with her and guiding him into the tank with the other men. "Here, probably a better spot for you at the moment."

The man looked annoyed that he had been sidelined but nodded, the mustached guy and his friend greeting him without much question. That done, Angelica stood on the tank, holding on as the bickering men in the tank plowed their way to the outside of the facility, dealing a fair bit of damage as they went. Catching sight of some Hydra guards, Angelica drew her stolen weapon and fired at one that attempted to shoot her. The weapon gave more kick than she had expected and she fumbled a little from the kickback, eyes widening as the guard she'd shot at disintegrated from her hit, before quickly straightening and giving the other guards a reckoning.

"She's got some bite," Angelica muttered, shooting a few more Hydra guards before one made it on top of the tank with her. Tossing the weapon into the tank with the safety on to prevent losing it, she took on the guard, delivering a quick punch to his head, while the guard landed one on her shoulder, which throbbed from the impact. Not to be deterred, Angelica swept his feet out from under him with a swipe of her leg and punched the guard so hard in the head that she could feel his skull shatter from beneath her fist. Shocked at the brutality of the punch she had delivered, she barely noticed as his body crumpled and slid off of the tank. Angelica only managed to shake herself once she heard explosions from inside the facility, which was only two hundred yards away.

"Fellas, toss me the gun I threw down there!" She yelled into the hatch of the tank.

"Sure thing, pumpkin!" The mustachioed man wisecracked, a hand reaching up from the hatch with her gun aloft. Giving him a wry smile, she took the gun and got ready for more company, as the prisoners and the Hydra guards alike tried to distance themselves from the facility as much as possible as the explosions and destructions within only seem to increase. In a matter of moments, the whole area would be dangerous.

"Don't hurry or nothing, not as if the world's on fire up here or anything," She called down into the tank.

"We're working on it, Shut it!" One of the men called, she couldn't tell which. She chuckled but her expression soon turned into worry as she wondered if Steve had made it out in time.

By that point, the prisoners had made it into the forest of the facility, safe from the eyes of Hydra and the inferno they'd left behind. The men had slowed the tank to a halt as the former prisoners reconvened, waiting to see if 'Captain America' would be meeting them.

Before long, a tall figure emerged from the trees, with another man leaning heavily against him. "Steve!" Angelica yelled as he came into view.

The soldiers cheered as Steve came closer, elated that they'd all escaped.

Angelica sat down on the top of the tank, her legs dangling off the edge with a smirk. "You're all cheering now but just wait for the long walk home," she called out, a few of the men groaning. Steve looked unperturbed, all was well.

* * *

The walk back had been predictably long and tiring, but the excitement of the soldiers kept the group buzzing regardless of their exhaustion. Barnes had soon regained some of his energy and was walking along beside Steve at a leisurely pace, still in pain from his time in captivity.

Three hours later, the camp came into view and the spirits of the group lifted even higher, cheers ringing out as men waved, perched on top of tanks like Angelica and walking alongside them. The camp was only waking up and the volume continued to rise as the camp saw all the excitement.

"Look who it is!" Someone from the camp yelled as they approached. Angelica could see Phillips emerging from the administrative tent, with Agent Carter on his heels. Angelica watched from her perch as Steve approached the Colonel with a salute. "I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action," she heard him say, snorting to herself. There was no way either of them would be disciplined after this and she wasn't even a soldier, she didn't fall under their umbrella anyway.

Phillips' face was his usual expressionless look, but she could see the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, "That won't be necessary."

"Yes, sir."

"ANGELICA STARK." And that would be Howard, right on schedule.

Angelica heaved a sigh, sliding off the tank and making her way over to Steve and the Colonel, looking less than impressed with her brother who looked ready to have kittens next to Agent Carter. To her surprise, however, Steve moved to Howard before she could respond. "Howard, she was absolutely necessary to the success of our mission, she can more than handle herself."

Angelica was shocked at the gesture, sending Steve a soft smile as he set one of his hands on her shoulder in support. Typically she would have been annoyed that a man had spoken for her, but this time all she felt was gratitude. Steve wasn't speaking up for her because he thought she was weak, he spoke up because he thought she was strong.

Howard blustered a little, "But she could've been hurt, gals aren't supposed to be fighting in wars-"

I sent Howard a scathing glare, "You'll find I can hand your ass to you better than any man. Minus muscles over here," she shot back, nodding her head towards Steve with a fond smirk.

"I'd like to see you stop me," she challenged her brother. This was one argument she wasn't going to bend to Howard on.

"Not to mention I appear to have different abilities than Steve from the serum, judging from how he has the hearing of a grandpa." She nudged Steve with her elbow with a short laugh, the mood lightening. Steve rolled his eyes at her and grinned despite himself.

Howard's funk lifted a little at this. "Really? We should find out how else you differ, the super soldier serum must react different for females given physical differences-"

Angelica swung an arm around her brother's shoulder. "Let's just hope I haven't gained super smarts as well or you'll be even more outstripped by me in the lab than you were before the serum."

Howard rolled his eyes, "As if, Lick."

"Let's hear it for Captain America and Angelica!" She heard Barnes cheer, and the crowd thundered around them.

She smiled at Steve, victory felt good.


End file.
